Zach Bryan, a country music musician, has spoken out about the strong reaction to a teaser for his new song, “Bad News,” which seems to disparage U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Bryan used his Instagram Story to defend the song, saying that its content was “misconstrued” and that it was meant to talk about the political division in the US.
The fight started over the weekend when Bryan posted a short clip of the song with the description “the fading of the red white and blue.”
The lyrics that caused a stir
The lines that made conservative and “MAGA” supporters angry right away were:
“I heard the cops came. Those cocky motherfuckers, aren’t they?” And ICE is going to come and break down your door. Try to create a house with no bills, but I have a phone. The kids are afraid and alone.
Critics quickly said that the lyrics were an attack on the police and a call for unrestricted borders.
Washington’s official condemnation
The response went beyond social media and got strong criticism from politicians:
Kristi Noem, the Secretary of Homeland Security, called Bryan out in a video, saying the song was “completely disrespectful” to the police and the country. She remarked, “I hope Zach Bryan understands,” and that she was “happy” she had never bought his music. Instead, she claimed she would download songs by Jason Aldean, John Rich, Kid Rock, and Jon Pardi.
Abigail Jackson, a spokesperson for the White House, said in a statement to Newsweek that “Something in the Orange tells me a majority of Americans disagree with him.” She was likely talking about a spokesperson for a conservative political group. In their response, the representative provided Bryan’s song titles as examples.
Bryan’s Defense: An American Who Is Not a Politician
Bryan, who served in the U.S. Navy for eight years before being honorably discharged in 2021, tried to put the song in context and respond to the flood of criticism in a series of posts on his Instagram Story.
Misunderstood Meaning: “This shows you how divisive a story can be when it’s forced on us through social media,” he wrote. “This song is about how much I love this country and everyone in it more than anything else.”
A Call for Unity: He said that the whole song “will understand the full context that hits on both sides of the aisle,” and that its real objective is to “bring us all out of this divided space.” He went on to say, “Everyone who is using this as a weapon is only showing how badly divided we all are.” We have to figure out how to get back.
“Embarrassed but kind of scared,” Bryan said that the strong reaction had an effect on him personally. He said, “I wasn’t talking like a politician or some better-than-you jerk. I’m just a 29-year-old man who is just as confused as everyone else.” “Seeing how much trouble it caused makes me feel bad and a little scared.” No matter if you’re on the left or the right, we’re all American. Just to be clear, I’m not on either of these extreme positions.
In a follow-up note, Bryan talked about the criticism he’s gotten in the last few months, saying he felt like he was “falling off a cliff while trying to grow wings at the same time.” He ended by saying how proud he is of the country where “we can all speak freely.”